Animal husbandry – Grooming – Driven
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2001-11-20
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 2644)
Animal husbandry
Grooming
Driven
C119S600000, C119S602000, C119S612000, C119S014180, C015S053200, C015S021100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318298
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the general art of cleaning implements, and to the particular field of brushes, and most specifically, brushes used to clean animals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many animals must be periodically brushed to remove shed hair, dander, insects and the like. Brushing also has beneficial effects for the health of the animal's skin and coat. It can be undesirable for the animal if the animal is not brushed. In some instances, brushing can be accompanied by the application of special medicinal powders and the like.
Accordingly, there are many designs for brushes intended to care for animals such as small pets, including dogs, cats and the like. Such brushes are generally hand held and are used by a human to groom the animal.
While these brushes work well for such small animals, large animals, such as cows, require brushing as well. The small hand-held brushes of the prior art may work to some degree, but are not fully practical for such large animals, especially if there are a large number of such large animals to be cared for. This problem is exacerbated if the animals are kept in stalls for long periods and may not be easily accessible for such grooming.
Accordingly, there is a need for a brushing device that can be used on large animals, such as cows. There is a further need for such a brushing device that can be used on an animal that is not confined and to which access may be difficult.
It is desirable that an animal be able to obtain brushing without depending on human contact. That is, the brushing should be available on a demand basis. This is especially true in the case of an animal that is not confined. Therefore, there is a need for an animal brushing system that can be automatically activated by an animal.
Still further, since not all animals are the same size, if a brush is automatically activated, it must also account for different size animals. If a human were operating the brush, such account would not be necessary; however, an automatically operated brush must be able to automatically accommodate different size animals.
Therefore, there is a need for an animal brushing system that does not need a human operator yet can accommodate different size animals.
Since many animals spend at least some of their time out of doors, it is desirable that a brushing system be amenable to outdoor as well as indoor use. Therefore, there is a need for an animal brushing system that can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Since many farms have a large number of animals, it is desirable that as many brushing systems as possible be available. However, these systems must be properly maintained. Maintenance cannot be overly expensive or time consuming or the purpose of the automatic, on-demand brushing system will be vitiated. Therefore, there is a need for an automatic, on-demand, self-adjusting brushing system that is easily maintained.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that can be used on large animals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that is automatically operated.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that can be activated by the animal itself.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that can accommodate animals of various sizes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that can automatically accommodate varying sizes in animals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that can be used outside and inside.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal brushing system that is easy to maintain.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an automatic, on-demand self-adjusting animal brushing system.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an automatic, on-demand self-adjusting animal brushing system that can be used on large animals.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an automatic, on-demand self-adjusting animal brushing system that can be used on large animals such as cows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These, and other, objects are achieved by a motor operated animal brushing system that is pivotally mountable on a wall of a stall adjacent to an animal, and which has a switch that is operated when an animal pushes against the brush element of the system and a timer that automatically turns the motor off after a pre-set time interval.
In this manner, the brush can move to accommodate various size animals and will be located in a position that is most advantageous for brushing the animal. The animal can have its coat brushed at any time by simply pushing against the brush which will be automatically activated and then automatically de-activated after a pre-set time interval. Animals will quickly learn how to receive a brushing.
The brushing system includes a simple motor connected to a brush by a link, such as a chain, with a simple switch on the motor that is operatively connected to the brush so when the brush is forced upwardly as by contact with the back of an animal pushing against the brush, and a simple timer system that is connected to the motor to de-activate the motor after a pre-set time interval. The entire system is easily mounted on any convenient element, such as a stall, and is rugged and weather-proof so it can be used outdoors as well as indoors and yet requires minimum maintenance. The pivoting connection of the brush to a frame permits the brush to automatically move so an animal can move the brush by simply pressing against the brush element.
In this manner, an animal, such as a cow, can have dirt, excess hair, and the like removed from its body, and especially from its head, tail, back and neck, whenever it desires.
The brushing system of the present invention is versatile, low maintenance, and convenient. The best mode of the system is used in connection with large animals such as cows, but those skilled in the art will be able to apply the teaching of this disclosure to other animals and situations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, while the brushing system is disclosed in connection with cows and cow stalls, it is understood that such disclosure is not intended to be limiting.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3939517 (1976-02-01), Bivens
patent: 4543678 (1985-10-01), Cox
patent: 5715558 (1998-02-01), Johnson
patent: 5878692 (1999-03-01), Örnerfors
patent: 5970911 (1999-10-01), van der Lely
patent: 5979002 (1999-11-01), Anderson
patent: 9100180-A (1992-09-01), None
Gernstein Terry M
Jordan Charles T.
Smith Kimberly S.
LandOfFree
Automatic, on-demand, self-adjusting brushing system for use... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Automatic, on-demand, self-adjusting brushing system for use..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Automatic, on-demand, self-adjusting brushing system for use... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2616543